Branded
by RawritsMolly
Summary: Forced into a life of human trafficking and prostitution, she lived her life in constant pain. Being visited by nameless men night after night. They took her name and only ever referred to her by a number. Seventy. But she knew she was so much more then that. But a chance meeting will change her life forever. Warnings: Mentions of rape & death. Please do not read if that upsets you
1. Chapter 1: Her Life

Chapter One: Her Life

She couldn't remember much about her life before this. If she tried really hard she could picture a faceless woman with dark hair just like hers. Truth be told that woman meant nothing to her, but she still clung to that memory like a lifeline. Somewhere she had a family and a name. Oh god what was that name?

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried her best to block out the grunting man on top of her. The way his sweat dripped on her skin, the metallic scent of her blood in the air, and his continuous painful thrusts against her pelvis made her sick. She wasn't even sure how she got to this point, it was all a hazy mess in her brain.

"Look at me you stupid slut." The man ordered in a raspy voice.

She didn't want too, she really didn't. She wanted to slip away into her mind and wait out this agony. This wasn't what she wanted, to be forcefully taken over and over again by nameless men night after night. A whimper escaped her lips as she clenched her eyelids tighter, her head moved on her neck like a broken toy as she turned away from him. She moved her hands to the demons chest and tried to push him off of her. But it was no use, he wasn't going anywhere.

"Look at me!" He roared as he swatted her hands away and grasped her chin roughly in his hand, forcing her to face him. "You will do as you're told!"

Slowly, she opened her eyes to looked at him. Willing the hatred she felt for him to shine like a beacon in the dark room.

His black eyes glared into her almost dead blue ones, there was still some fight in her. Not much but it was there in the very back of her gaze. That last bit of fight will be beaten out of her at some point. Of that he was sure. The Ox demon grinned at her, his teeth yellow and crooked. "This would be easier on you if you obeyed."

His hips moved faster, pushing his member harshly into her in a punishing manner. Her wounded back scraping against the wooden floor with each thrust. A cry of pain left her throat and she tried to pull her head out of his hand, this defiance only infuriated him and he moved his hand from her chin to her neck, keeping her still. He wanted submission. This was for his pleasure not hers, never hers. Those last few thrusts felt like eternity to her, her breath leaving her in small choking coughs from the pressure his hand was placing on her windpipe, making her head swim from lack of air. But soon he stiffened and let a guttural moan fill the room. She grunted in pain as he fell on top of her in a boneless heap. His large body crushing her beneath him. It was hard to breath, between his horrid smell, the pressure of him on her rib cage, and the hand that was still clutching her neck like a vise.

The Ox laughed as he pushed himself off the petite figure, watching in sick glee as she gasped for air when his large hand left her neck. Slipping out of her he moved to stand and walked away, leaving the naked woman on the floor, to clean himself off. The rustle of clothes and the sound of a zipper greeted her ears as she laid there coughing and staring at the dingy ceiling. Finally, it was over.

"You were a good fuck, slut. Just remember, next time you _will_ keep your eyes on me." The demon growled as he walked to door lighting up a cigarette on his way and knocked.

Another man opened the door and the two talked for a moment. Money was passed from the Ox to the smaller man and then the demon pushed his way through the door leaving the bruised girl alone with the man who answered the door. The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes, blood, and sex.

"Come on Seventy," The man said as he entered the room, his braid swaying behind him. He had a dirty robe clutched in his right hand. The man leaned down and gently grabbed her arm to lift her to her feet. "Time to get you cleaned up."

Her breath hitched in her sore throat as she moved, stumbling a moment on her unsteady legs. Everything hurt. Her tiny hand grabbed onto his white t-shirt to keep her from falling and he didn't seem to mind as he grounded himself to help her stay up. His hand moved from her arm for a moment to drape the grungy and tattered cotton robe around her frame. Daring a glance up she breathed a sigh of relief, it was Bankotsu. Of all the men here he was the nicest to the girls. He wasn't the best man but at least he seemed to somewhat care about their well being.

His dark eyes watched her for a second as she steadied her breathing before he gripped her arm again and slowly lead her from the horrible room. The hall wasn't much better but at least it looked somewhat presentable. Old peeling wall paper and creaking hardwood floors, there were even ruined photos of long dead Geisha's held in frames on the walls. Small dim lights glowed from their homes on the walls, making it easy to navigate through the hall. A few more doors littered the walls, a couple were open while the rest were closed. Closed doors meant those rooms were in use. The cries of females and the grunting of males echoed in the hall like a morbid soundtrack of her life. The man with her nodded his head to a few of his associates that walked the hall waiting for a knock on the closed doors.

Bankotsu kept his grip light on her arm as he moved her down the pathway. Making a right at the end of the hall he opened another door that sat a little ways down and they watched as his hand disappeared into the inky blackness. With an easy flip of a switch light burst to life and the girl turned her head away from it. It was far too bright for her eyes. Carefully, the man lead her into the room, letting the door close with a small click behind them as he sat her on the dirty toilet lid. After a moment he turned towards the dingy tub and started the shower. His hand felt the water and nodded at the lukewarm temperature. "Alright Seventy, in you go."

Grabbing the sink next to her she moaned in pain as her body protested at the movement. With shaking hands, she slipped the robe off and let it pool around her on the tiled floor. Taking his offered hand she carefully stepped into the spray, gasping as the water hit her bruised and broken skin. She let her head fall forward as she placed her clenched fists against the wall, watching the water run down her body in pink rivers. Anger swelled in her chest as tears collected in her eyes as the blood and grime from the night was washed down the drain. Why? Why was this her life? Wasn't she was meant for more than this? A small sob escaped her lips as the tears forced their way down her cheeks when she closed her lids. That faceless woman was brought to the front of her mind, and a tiny barely there smile crept onto her face. That woman would have loved her. She knew that in her heart.

"Seventy," Bankotsu muttered, bringing her back to the present. "You don't have much longer. Hurry and clean up, then we will treat your cuts and get you to bed. You're done for the night."

Nodding slightly, she pushed herself up away from the wall and started to wash off. Grabbing the small bar of soap from the shelf in the shower she started to scrub herself. Her movements started out slow and then gained speed as she went, her nails scraped against her skin as she tried to rid her body of the Ox demons touch. She cried silently as she rubbed her skin raw in all the places that disgusting man had touched her. Her face, her arms, her neck, her legs, her torso, and her sex. All of it. Her body was bright red and angry from all the abuse it had sustained that night. She would have continued in her movements if Bankotsu hadn't have stilled her hands to take the soap from her. Letting the water wash away the sudsy mess, she sighed in defeat as he turned the water off.

Taking the clean towel he offered she dried off and let him get to work on the wounds the Ox demon gave her. He was a sadist and took joy in watching her pain. The whip marks on her back stung as he cleaned them with the mediocre medicine they had handy. Soon her back was covered in gauze as he moved around her wiping the bruises with some sort of ointment. Lifting her chin gently he glanced at the finger prints on her neck. Nodding his satisfaction, he grabbed a pair of panties and the black dress that all the girls wore and helped her into it. Nudging her towards the door, he leaned down to grab the used towel and robe from the floor depositing them in the laundry as he made his way out with her. His arm wrapped around her waist to steady her as she stumbled again.

Bankotsu took the lead again as he moved her back up the hall towards the torture rooms. At least that's what the girls called them. But he passed that area and continued straight into the maze that was the upper floor of the building. Talking a left he brought her to a door at the end of the path that hid stairs to the bottom floor and opened it with his right hand. His left arm was still on her waist. The door creaked open and he grunted as he urged her down the stairs and followed her in closing the door behind them. His hand moved from her waist to her arm to keep her upright as they descended.

The stairs ended and they continued down another labyrinth of hallways until they reached a door towards the back of the building. The number twelve glinted at her in the dim hallway light. Taking the key ring from his pocket he found the key for that door and slipped it in easily. A click was heard and the door opened slowly inward. The room was dark save for the small sliver of moonlight that reached through the the tiny basement window in the wall and for that the girl was grateful as she stepped into the room towards her bed. There was only two beds in the small room, one on the left and one in the right.

Her bed was a welcoming sight as she moved to it flipping the covers open so she could lay down. The bed on the right wall was empty for the moment. The girl that was there previously had left one night and never returned, that either meant she was sold or dead. Shivering at the thought she slowly crawled under her covers with a weak painful sigh.

Bankotsu watched as she moved to get comfortable in the bed. It would be hard to do with all the damage that her body had gained that night but she was able to do it. The thin sheets pulled over her small frame as she nuzzled into the bed. Nodding at her as she closed her eyes, he let the door close. The sound of the key turning and the lock clicked into place. "Goodnight Seventy." He mumbled through the door and the sound of his retreating steps down the hall put her at easy.

Closing her eyes the girl let the tears in her eyes fall. This was her life, and she hated it. There had been many times she had wished for the sweet release of death, this was another one of those times. Gripping her pillow in her hands she brought that faceless woman back from her memories. Her dark hair, her yellow sweater, and that white apron around her waist. How she wished she could remember that woman's face, somewhere she had a family, someone that loved her. Slowly, she drifted into sleep the memory of that woman her only connection to the outside world. A world she wished to escape to one day. Quietly, a voice echoed in her brain, a name. It had said a name! In a sweet voice it called to her, ' _Kagome!'_

Kagome? Was that her name? So it wasn't a number after all. She wasn't Seventy. She was Kagome.

A/N: So this is the first story I have uploaded onto this site in many years, please excuse me if I did something incorrectly. I am a bit rusty. Please let me know how you liked the chapter! I am starting to work on chapter two right now and hope to have it out in a few days. It's a bit dark now but I promise it will lighten up.


	2. Chapter 2: Her Many Failures

Chapter two: Her Many Failures

A groan of pain left her dry throat as Kagome rolled over in her tiny bed. She knew today her body would protested any movement she made, it was still angry from the time she spent in the torture room the night before. The Ox demon sure did a number on her, both physically and mentally. He got under her skin and into her brain. He came to her in her dreams last night. They always did. The men that forced themselves on her, they always came back to taunt her in her dreams, to make her relive the torture they put her through. Kagome found most nights she would wake in a cold sweat then lay in bed for hours after that before falling back asleep. Some nights she didn't sleep at all.

Kagome blinked her tired eyes open, wincing at the gray light of day that shined into her small room. Slowly she turned her head to look at the frosted over window in the wall. She could barely make out that the sky was covered in gray clouds and little specks of white fell towards the ground. It was snowing. That would explain why her room was so cold. Her left arm throbbed at the thought of the cold weather outside and with a sigh Kagome closed her eyes again as she rubbed some warmth into the offended appendage with her right hand. After it was broken as a punishment for an escape attempt, it had never truly healed properly, now it sat as a constant reminder of her many failures during her time here. Ten to be exact.

Shaking her head free of such thoughts she moved to sit up biting her lip as pain shot through her body. The thin blanket fell from her torso to pool around her waist, not wanting to bother with it she left it alone. It didn't really do much to warm her anyway but the cold definitely wasn't helping her situation. She felt stiff. Slowly she mentally went over of all the spots on her body that hurt. Though her eyes burned from lack of sleep, she had to acknowledge her back was the worst, the whip marks wouldn't heal up for a while and she was scared that if she moved to fast it would open the deep cuts. Oh, how she hated that stupid Ox.

Sighing she lifted her hand to push her long limp hair out of her face, only for her fingers to get caught in the tangles. Making a face she took a moment to release them from the trap on her head, she really wished she had a brush to tame this wild mess of waves, but she wasn't allowed such a luxury. With enough ingenuity anything could be made into a weapon and the man that ruled this hell hole would not allow that. No harm was to come to his clients or guards, that was just bad business.

A noise caught her attention and she turned her head slowly towards the door to her room. Kagome's eyes widened as her heart started to race. That was the lock. Had they sent someone to collect her for another go in a torture room? God, she hoped not.

The door swung open with a creak that made her want to wince back but she stayed put. The man silhouetted in the door smirked at her menacingly. "Well look who's up. Good afternoon, Seventy."

' _Kagome,'_ She thought bitterly as she glared at the man. ' _My name is Kagome.'_

"Get up, we let you sleep through breakfast and now it's time for lunch. You'll need your strength if you are going to be of any use to us." Crossing his arms over his chest he glared back at the girl, his red eyes daring her to do something stupid.

Pushing the thin blanket from her lap, she put her bare foot on the floor and stood up slowly never letting her glaring blue eyes fall from his face. Out of all the guards here she hated this man the most. Just the sound of his voice made her want to punch him.

Hiten, for lack of a better word, was an asshole.

But since he was the one with the keys and the wooden switch at his hip didn't look so inviting. At this point she had no choice but to do what he said.

She moved towards him carefully, not wanting to further anger any of the wounds on her body. But Hiten didn't care about that, when she was close enough his right hand shot out and gripped her left arm firmly. Her already sore arm throbbed as the Thunder demon pinched the skin of her bare arm between his fingers. A cry left her lips as he jerked her from the room harshly letting the door close behind them. Not even bothering to lock it behind them as was custom. But seeing as she was the only one in the room at this time the need to lock the door was pointless, not like there was anyone to keep in.

Keeping his firm grip on her arm he dragged her down the empty hallways towards the front of the basement where they kept the run down room they referred to as the cafeteria. In reality it was just a windowless room with a table off to the side where they handed out bland food in pitiful portions and had no less than four guards to watch the girls at all times. Not being able to keep up with his fast pace she stumbled a few times and fell once. Which only served to annoy the man as he squeezed her arm painfully and growled at her.

"Hurry up!" He yelled as he jerked her into a standing position. Her left arm pulsed in time with her heartbeat as his grip tightened. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as he roughly pulled her along. There was definitely going to be another bruise after this.

Pushing open the cafeteria door Hiten threw Kagome into the room. She tripped on her own feet and landed on her knees with a hard thud. A gasp left her lips at the pain her legs were feeling. Smirking again the demon watched as she sat on the floor. "You have ten minutes, Seventy. I wouldn't waste them."

"Screw you," She muttered so quietly under her breath she was sure that he hadn't heard it and she pushed herself off the ground. Her back felt wet under the gauze. It was not surprising to her that the cuts had reopened and were currently bleeding because of the man's rough treatment. Using her right hand she rubbed her left arm in a soothing manner. It was still very upset at the way it had been held. Moving towards the table she grabbed the small bowl that was thrust into her grip by one of the guards and she walked away towards the back of the room to sit on the dirty floor. Glancing into the bowl she made a face at the rice and was that fish? She didn't know but when you are hungry you didn't care either.

Plucking the chopsticks from the bowl she gazed around the room as she started to eat. Only a few girls were allowed to eat together at one time, that reduced the chances of them fighting together against the guards. But it's not like many of the girls would, at this point so many of them were just going through the motions. Living without really being alive. Dead eyes stared at their food as they ate quietly. They too had their names taken away to be replaced by numbers. Their spirits were broken. She saw her future in those dead eyes, pursing her lips together she looked back at her food. She was not going to end up like them. Closing her eyes she imagined the faceless woman again and her sweet voice as she called out her name. ' _Kagome!'_

' _Kagome.'_ A slight smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes as she thought about the name. It sounded perfect to her, she loved it. It gave her hope. The faceless woman gave her a name and she would die before anyone took it away from her again.

After picking at the last few bites of her meager meal she stood up once more ignoring her body as it grumbled at the movement. As Kagome passed by the few girls in the room she looked them over, one had a few cuts, a couple had bruises, but one girl was completely clean of any blemishes. But she was still young, her time would come. It always did. She had to look away from the little girl as sadness gripped her chest. That was her not too long ago and it broke her heart. This was no place to grow up she knew that first hand. Slowly she brought the bowl over to the guard, watching as he snatched it from her grip to drop it into the bin with the other dirty bowls that have been collected since lunch started.

Glancing up at the guard she narrowed her eyes as he scoffed at her. "Got a problem?"

Well, wasn't that the question of the year.

"If you are finished then let's go, Seventy!" Hiten shouted at her from across the room. "The rest of you hurry up! You have clients to take care of!"

The other girls gave small gasps as his voice boomed in the room but Kagome only flinched at it. She had half a mind to ignore him, but that wouldn't be the best idea. If she thought she was in pain now there would be no telling if she would even be alive after Hiten got his hands on her. Her will to fight was strong, but her body was tired. Her eyes closed and she took a calming breath as he yelled at her again but she started to move towards him. She was unable to hold in her startled cry as he grabbed her arm roughly.

"I'll see you later man," Hiten said as he lazily smacked the guard he had been talking to on the chest with a chuckle. With his right hand he turned the knob and let it swing open into the hall.

He pushed her out into the hallway back towards the way they had come. For a moment she was worried that he would lead her up the stairs to the top floor, she wasn't ready for a new client. But she let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding as they passed the stairs and continued down the hall towards her room.

"Hiten!" A voice yelled from behind them.

"Yeah?" The Thunder demon stopped and swiveled his head towards the new voice.

Kagome turned to look at the man who was walking up. It was a one of the human guards that she didn't know. She moved her eyes down to the ground as he approached them.

"After you get Seventy in her room we will need you up top. A new batch of girls will be arriving soon."

"Fresh meat huh?" Hiten smirked. He had a gleam in his eye. He loved when new girls came, they put up a thrilling fight. "No problem. I'll meet you up there."

With a nod the second guard turned and started up the stairs. His heavy boots making a lot of noise as he went.

Hiten continued forward through the halls and soon that number twelve was mocking her again. Opening the door Hiten pushed her in with a chuckle. "Now be a good girl and stay put."

The teen rolled her eyes at him as she moved to sit on her bed, not caring in the slightest that he slammed the door behind her. Slamming doors were nothing new here. She could still hear him laughing at his own joke as he went down the hall. It seemed like she would be getting a new roommate soon. But for now she was alone in her jail cell taking in the last few moments of silence that she would get before she had to comfort the new arrival. Looking up at the stone ceiling Kagome tried to remember how she had reacted when she got here. She was really young, of that she was sure, but the memory was lost to her sealed away in her mind. It was probably for the best in all honesty.

Laying down she tried to curl into a ball but the taped gauze on her back pulled painfully, as the muscles clenched in disapproval. Wincing she unfolded herself and waited until her back relaxed. Kagome closed her eyes as she imagined the faceless woman once more. It seemed that this woman was the only way she would ever be able to stay sane in this place. But she couldn't help but wonder, what did this woman look like now? Was her hair longer or was it short? Did she have blue eyes too? What connection did they have?

During her time daydreaming of the woman, she hadn't even realized that she had fallen into a dreamless sleep until the door was pushed open again letting the dim hallway light filter into the dark room. When had it gotten so dark?

Blinking her eyes open she groaned as a hand pulled her to her feet. She was finally comfortable for once and she really didn't want to get out of bed. Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

"Let's go Seventy. Someone wants to see you." This was just another human guard. You could always tell the difference between the two. The demon guards definitely had a stronger grip and a commanding tone to their voice. But this guy just sounded bored.

She tried to pull her arm out of his grasp but that only made him hold on tighter.

"Don't make this harder than it had to be. Come on." The male commented as he dragged her from the room.

She moved slowly trying to prolong her inevitable course to the torture rooms, for she was sure that was were she was headed. The man simply rolled his eyes at her. Almost too soon for her liking they had weaved their way through halls and now stood face to face with the stairs, the man next to her gave her a quick nudge to get her moving again. Halfway up the stairs she realized she had started to tremble, what torture was she being put through tonight? Was it the Ox again or maybe the human man who liked to use her skin as an ashtray. She still had burn scars on her body, mostly on her hands and arms, from the many cigarettes he put out on her.

Being behind her the man had to lean around her small frame to opened the door and pushed her through it. Once he was out of the stairway he reattached himself to her arm as the door closed behind them and started down the hall. Making a right they come to the dim hall that held the torture rooms, only to continue down the pathway in front of them that held the bathroom she had showered in over the watchful eye of Bankotsu.

Kagome looked up at the guard, letting her features express her confusion. He just ignored her keeping his eyes forward. If it wasn't to the torture rooms then where the hell was he taking her?

See, this building only had three floors. The basement where they kept the girls, the ground floor had the torture rooms but this floor also held the door to the outside world. Though it was well hidden in the Labyrinth of halls. But the top floor was the one place no one wanted to go to. That was where the Master's office was. None of the girls went up the stairs unless they were forced too.

Fear clawed at her chest as her eyes went wide, watching the stairs come into her view. Panic crashed into her making her heart work double time. She was being taken to see the Master. She didn't even try to hide the whimper that escaped her lips as she attempted to pull away from the steps. Last time Kagome had the pleasure of seeing him she ended up with a concussion. No, it was never good to see these stairs.

The Master was not a lenient man. He did not tolerate disobedience and he sure as hell didn't put up with her continued attempts at escaping.

Shaking her head, she tried to dig her feet into the floor boards. "No! Please don't make me go up there!"

Try as she might the man wouldn't let go of his firm hold on her. "Don't start!" He warned. He didn't have time for this.

She pushed her hands against his body trying to get away. She didn't want to go up there! Couldn't he see that! Take her to the torture rooms! Give her to the Ox! Hell, she would even take a beating from Hiten at this point. She didn't care, just as long as she didn't have to go up those damn stairs! Seeing that her attempts to push him away were pointless she let her right hand fly out and grasped the banister on the wall. She felt her body jerk as he continued to try and pull her.

A sound of anger came from the man as he turned and ripped her hand away from the rail. Roughly pushing her up the stairs he watched as she tripped and landing harshly on the wooden steps. His body blocked her path back down the steps, he had effectively trapped her in the small dark stairwell.

A panicked cry left her, as tears sprung to her wide blue eyes. Her bare legs slammed into the wood. More bruises to add to her collection. She lifted herself up with her hands and turned around as she pleaded with the guard. "Please, don't do this! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Be quiet!" He yelled at her. His large hands went around her small wrists as he manhandled her into a standing position. "You have an appointment to see the Boss. It's not wise to keep him waiting."

Once his hands left her wrists she tried to think of a way out of here. She watched as he lifted his arm to grab her again. She took the opening he gave her and moved to push past him but it was no use the man was far too broad and all she ended up doing was getting the wind knocked out of her as his large shoulder met her stomach. He wasn't as stupid as she thought he was. With ease he threw her onto his shoulder and continued up the stairs. She struggled to breath as she kicked her feet hoping to hit him where it hurts. Her nails scratched at his back as he step on the landing.

The door directly in front of them opened and Bankotsu watched from the room as the man moved through the hall with a frightened Kagome on his shoulder. Narrowing his eyes at the duo, he closed the door with a sharp click as they walked through. Blocking the rest of the building from her.

There was no going back now, she was stuck in here until the Master said she was done. Tears rolled down her pale face as she saw the door get farther away from her.

The Master watched with an amused glint in his red eyes as the guard pulled her from his shoulder and pushed her forwards. He didn't care that the force of the push made her stumble, neither did he even so much as flinch at the thud her body made when she fell and made contact with the floor. He simply looked down at her like a school principal would a student. "Ah, Seventy. What a pleasure it is to see you again. How long has it been? Two months? Not since your last little attempt to escape. How's your head feeling?"

Kagome lifted her head from the floor and eyed the Master fearfully. She pushed herself up to her knees quickly and tried to get herself far away from him. "No, please! I didn't do anything!"

"No one said you did. But we do have some business to attend too." The Master said easily as he turned to walk away from her shaking form. He was headed towards his desk which sat next to the only fireplace in the building. This arms behind his back. Looking back over his shoulder at Bankotsu and the two other men in the room, he nodded towards her then to the table that sat in the middle of the room. "Gentlemen, if you would be so kind."

"No!" Kagome screamed as the men converged on her. The two humans easily lifted her small frame from the ground and moved her towards the table. She struggled against them as they placed her onto it and got to work with tying her down. She gasped as the cold metal table hit her exposed skin. Leaning her head back to look at her hands she watched in wide eyed horror as the ropes attached to the table burned across the skin on her arms. She felt the rough material wind around her ankles as well. Arching her back she tried in vain to pull herself free. Squeezing her eyes closed she bit her lip against the sob that tried to escape her throat.

"You see, Seventy. You have been with us for quite some time now. Years in fact." He said nonchalantly as he pulled his suit jacket off his body placing it on the coat rack next him as he waltzed over to the fireplace. The Master looked over at her, noticing her breathing had picked up rapidly. "Yes, you have caused your fair share of issues but you have also served us well." After rolling up the sleeves of his black button up shirt, he let his hand reach down into the fireplace and grabbed a metal stick that sat in it. He stoked the fire with it for a moment before he pulled it out to look at it. "A lot of our clients seem to like you, it's probably the spark of defiance that's still alive in you. You're definitely good at your job."

The crackling of firewood made her flinch as she imagined him poking the wood with that metal rod. Kagome snapped her eyes open as she heard his footsteps start to move towards her. In his hand he held that rod, the end was glowing bright red. Her eyes looked too wide for her small face and her breath caught in her throat. She was going to get branded. "No! Please! I'll do anything! Don't do this please!" She yelled as she struggled harder against her binds.

"Hold her still." The Master said as he stopped at her side. He was completely unfazed by her pleading.

The three men looked at their boss before they leaned on her to keep her from moving. One human took at her arms while the man who brought her here took her legs. They pushed the appendages down firmly. Bankotsu couldn't look at her as he put his arms on her torso and pushed down keeping her body from arching away. He heard her breath leave her in a puff.

With his free hand the Master flipped up the skirt of her dress so that it covered Bankotsu's arm. He then trailed his hand down her scarred body to her panties and pulled them down a bit to expose the patch of skin on her right hip. Her hip bone protruded out slightly in an unhealthy way. "This is to show everyone who you belong too. You are mine to use as I see fit."

She felt the heat of the brand on her skin before he even brought it down. The pain was like nothing she had ever felt before, not even the cigarette burns hurt this bad. She couldn't stop the scream that left her throat as the metal burned into her flesh. Her muscles twitched involuntarily at the abuse as she struggled against the men and rope that held her. The sickening sound of popping flesh made her want to throw up.

"I, Naraku, will be your only Master." The Master smirked as he lifted the brand from her skin and looked down at the spider mark that was left behind in satisfaction. The grin on his face widened as he watched the skin as it continued to sizzle. He only branded the girls he intended to keep. And oh he was going to keep this little money maker. Tossing the metal item towards the fireplace he watched as the men got up and backed away from the table. Bankotsu was the only one who continued to not look at her. The other men stared unfazed by the scene before them. Naraku moved up to grab her chin and turned her head towards him. "That wasn't so bad now was it?"

Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes to glare at the man with tears running down her cheeks. Her breath wheezed in her throat as he looked at her. It surprised them all when she spit in his face. She still had that bit of fight left, not even the burning of her skin was going to kill that.

Wiping the spit from his cheek he stared at his hand for a moment before he backhanded her. The ring on his hand cut the skin on her cheek and the force of the slap sent her head rolling on the table.

"Don't you ever disrespect me like that you filthy whore!" Naraku's red eyes blazed in anger as he sneered at her. Turning towards the guards he waved his hand at her. "Get her out of my sight."

Carefully, the two human men released her from the table and set her on her feet. The rope marks stood out against her pale skin. Her little black dress fell back into place covering the abused area on her hip. The weight of her body was too much for her weak quaking legs and she collapsed on the ground with a cry of pain. The tears wouldn't stop as she clenched her eyes shut, she could still feel the fire on her skin. Her hand went over her hip subconsciously, which made her cry out as her dress scraped against the tender area. She choked as she felt herself starting to get sick. This pain was too much.

"Take her back to her room, Matsumoto." Bankotsu muttered at one of the other guards as he watched Naraku walk towards the fireplace again. A pleased look on his boss's face.

Gripping her arm the guard, who she now knew as Matsumoto, pulled her up slowly. Ignoring her cries of pain, he marched her towards the door. Her body was fighting against her and she couldn't get her legs to work properly. She stumbled to her knees once more as her left hand flew out to keep herself from face planting. Trying to catch her breath, Kagome took a moment as she finally felt the pain in her cheek. It throbbed at her and she felt blood drip from the cut Naraku's ring had made. She has almost forgot about the slap she had received.

Grunting the guard moved his hands to under her arms and pulled her back up. She let out a hiss of pain but moved slowly with the guard out the door and down the hallway. The stairs she hated so much came to meet them as they started to descend. Kagome was pretty sure if it wasn't for the guard she would have fallen down the stairs. Her body shook and her footing was off, a gasp of surprise left her as she almost tumbled down the last step. But the guard kept his hold on her and maneuvered her towards the hallway off to the right. She just wanted to get back in her bed and fall asleep. She was in so much pain.

"Let go of me!" A voice yelled down the hall.

"What now?" Matsumoto muttered in annoyance as they turned the corner and came face to face with the commotion.

They now stood in the entrance of the hallway that held the torture rooms. From her vantage point it looked like one of the new girls, at least she thinks she was new for Kagome has never seen her before, was fighting with her guard as he tried to drag her now black dressed form towards an open door. A client watched the fight from his spot in the torture room. He had a sickening smirk on his face, oh how he couldn't wait to break her. But her cries were causing a scene and they couldn't have that. Soon a few more guards started down the hall towards her.

"I'm not going in there!" She screamed as another guard grabbed her free arm. Her black hair fell in her face as she struggled against their hold. Her brown eyes were wide in panic. "No, stop it! Get away from me!"

For a moment Kagome didn't even seem to notice that her guard had let go of her arm. She just stood there hunched over, her left hand clutching her dress that hid her burned skin. Leaning against the wall Kagome watched as Matsumoto went over to help control the situation. Her breath caught in her throat as realization hit her. She had no guard. She was sure that he figured that she was in no shape to even move by herself. Kagome would prove him wrong.

Wiping the tears from her eyes with her right hand, the burned girl stumbled backwards away from the scene as the guards fought to control the hysterical new girl. Her legs shook as she moved down the hall keeping one hand on the wall for guidance. For a moment she stopped to catch her breath, then steeled her nerves as she pushed herself forward on wobbly legs until she was moving so fast, she was running through the labyrinth of hallways. Making quick lefts and rights. Her body was protesting but she kept going, she couldn't stop. Not now. She had to find the exit. She had to get out. She had to find that faceless woman!

Kagome stopped to catch her breath as she came to a fork in the road, looking left and then to the right. Which way was it again? She had made so many attempts in the time she's been here, she practically had the entire building but the top floor memorized. But her mind was so muddled with pain she seemed to forget where to go. Panic pushed crashed through her as she turned to look over her shoulder as the sound of running came towards her. Shouts were heard through the building. Matsumoto must have figured out she hadn't stayed put like a good little girl by now and sounded the alarm. Racking her brain for the correct path she turned left and ran down the hall. She ran for a few more feet and barely noticed it. She had almost run right by it. But there it was in a little alcove off to her right. The one door that evaded her for years. It was possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Taking a few steps into the alcove she leaned against the wall before falling to her knees. Her hand went over her burning right hip. Her weaker left arm held her up as she caught her breath. She lifted her eyes and looked at the door through her long bangs. The moon shown through the cracked window that sat in the door. Just a little bit farther. She could make it.

The sound of running reached her ears again and she gave a panicked cry. Lifting herself up, she turned around and leaned her shoulder against the wall beside her and slowly walked backwards towards the door as Bankotsu turned into the alcove.

Their eyes locked for a moment, stern black and panicked blue clashing together. The sound of running and yelling could be heard through the halls of the building. Slowly, she continued to back towards the door. Tears springing to her eyes again as she gazed at him pleadingly. No! She was so close!

The walkie talkie on his hip crackled to life. "Bankotsu! Come in! Is Seventy near the door?"

Breathing heavy from his run around the building in search of her, Bankotsu stared her down. Clenching his fist at his sides. Grabbing the walkie off his hip he pushed down the button to answer the voice that called him. "Negative, this area is clear. I repeat. The door is clear."

Confusion bloomed on Kagome's features as her heart stopped in shock, her breath got caught in her throat. Knitting her eyebrows together she stared at him like he had grown a second head. "Why?"

Looking back down the hall he came from the guard ignored her question, instead he listened for a moment as men ran the opposite direction. Glancing back over towards her, he watched as her confusion sparked into hope when he nodded towards the door. "Run."

That was all she needed. A small smile crept to her lips as she turned and moved towards the door, fumbling a moment to get it unlocked. But soon she flung the door open, welcoming the winter's night chill as it caressed her face making her shiver, the wind made her black dress flutter around her thighs, and goosebumps rose on her exposed skin.

The moon was high in the dark sky, peeking out through the clouds as if it were trying to secretly get a look at her. Snow still fell towards the white covered ground. The path ahead of her was dark, for no street lights hit the alleyway the door was located in. But she could see the wall of the building next to theirs. She heard the hustle and bustle of the street to her right. Cars honked, feet crunched on snow, and there was a distinct sound of yelling. To her left was the rest of the alley that was covered in white, she could see the trash and broken bottles that sat on the ground. She knew that if she continued down this way that it would lead her to other alleys. It would be in her best interest to stick to that plan.

The building was located in the seedier part of town, where no one batted an eye at the illegal on goings in the lives of the people lived there. Everyone had secrets and the ones that frequented this area would kill to keep theirs.

The sound of her beating heart filled her ears and she glanced over her shoulder at the guard as the wind blew her hair into her face. Snow danced around her as it flew into the hallway. Breathing heavily she smiled at him as two words slipped past her lips. "Thank you."

Bankotsu nodded as he watched her run from the building. The sound of her bare feet in the snow getting quieter and quieter in the night. "Good luck."

A/N: So here is chapter two. Please let me know what you think! Going to start working on chapter three as soon as I can.


	3. Chapter 3: She's Hurt Not Drunk

A/N: So I realized I never put a disclaimer on the previous chapters. So here is the disclaimer for the rest of the story. I do not own Inuyasha. Any places, characters, or things that are recognizable are property of their specific creators. Don't sue me. I don't have the money for that!

Chapter Three: She's Hurt Not Drunk!

Kagome ignored her aching body as she pushed off walls and stumbled her way through the dirty alleys. Her breath left her in visible puffs, if she looked down she would see how red her hands had become from the cold air. She was sure her feet looked very much the same since she had no shoes to protect them. Her left arm was a constant aching reminder of how cold it was outside as it shot pain through the once broken bones. Kagome had no idea how long or how far she had run but she didn't care as long as she got as far from that place as possible.

Her vision started to waver as she stumbled into another alley. She could feel the adrenaline fading from her system, she had pushed herself too hard. All of the cuts from her meeting with the whip yesterday were opening and bleeding from the constant movement. There was no telling how much blood she had lost and she was sure that mixed with the cold were the reasons she was getting so unfocused. She shivered as a cold breeze blew through her, a small part of her brain told her that the gauze had most likely been soaked through and that wasn't helping at all. She felt her legs shake under her as she slowed from her frantic run to a shambling walk. The spider on her hip didn't so much burn anymore as it did just throb. Giving her head a quick shake to try and focus her muddled brain, she glanced up through her bangs at the street ahead of her as she fumbled over her feet and hit a wall. Taking a moment to try and catch her breathe she felt her chest squeeze, it felt as if her lungs couldn't get in enough air.

"I don't see why we had to come all the way down here just for dinner." A gruff voice broke through the cold night.

"Because it's Miroku's turn to pick dinner and he wanted sushi. You chose that ramen restaurant last Wednesday and none of us complained." This voice was higher pitched as it argued back.

"This place has the best sushi in all Kyoto. Come on Yash, tell me it wasn't good." Another male voice stated easily with a laugh.

"Well, it wasn't terrible." The first voice mumbled as the others laughed at him.

Their lives seemed so easy, she couldn't deny the jealousy that bubbled up inside her. What she would give to be them. Bringing up the little strength she had left, Kagome pushed herself away from the wall with frozen arms to head towards the street. Maybe she was far enough away from her hell that someone would help or at least a place to sleep for the night. But her feet wouldn't listen to her as she moved them forward and she ended up tumbled into a trashcan causing it and her along with it to fall over into the sludge of ice and gravel. A cry left her as her burnt hip hit the edge of the fallen metal can pushing it down the alley towards the street. Now as she lay on the ground on her right side she felt everything that her body was suffering through. Her hip still felt like it was on fire again from the hit on the trashcan, her limbs felt heavy, and her entire being seemed to throb in time with her heartbeat now that she had stopped moving. She closed her eyes as tears welled up threatening to fall, she didn't care about the snow that still fell on her or the cold dirty ground below her.

"Did you hear that?" The higher voice asked as the trashcan rolled to a stop at the front of the alley.

"It's probably just some drunk, Sango." The gruffer voice said not caring about the noise. "Come on, it's cold and I wanna get home."

"I'm going to check it out." The first voice said. The sound of walking reached Kagome's ears, the snow crunching under the soles of boots. The girl, Sango, called out into the alley. "Hello?"

The girl's voice sounded so welcoming that Kagome wanted to call out to her. She opened her mouth but no words came forward, instead she let out a whimper as she heard the girl get closer. She wasn't that far away now and the idea made Kagome flinch. Maybe looking for help wasn't the best idea.

"Oh my god." Sango gasped as the prone body of Kagome came into her line of sight. Rushing forward, she almost slipped on the ice as she skidded to a stop in front of the broken girl. Looking back over to the two boys at the mouth of the alley, her eyes were wide with worry. "It's a girl!"

"Girls can be drunks too, Sango." The gruff voice called back to her.

"Shut up Inuyasha! She's hurt not drunk!" The girl barked angrily as she knelt down next to Kagome, pushing the dark dirty hair from her face. "It's going to be okay. We're going to help you."

"We're what?" Inuyasha asked as he and Miroku made their way into the alley, side stepping the fallen trashcan, broken bottles, and old newspapers.

"Now, now, Inuyasha," Miroku said in a calming manner. "Let's just see what's wrong."

"Miroku look at her," Sango said as she looked over Kagome, her hand laying gently on the girl's bruised arm. "She's practically frozen! We need to get her to a hospital."

"No," Kagome whispered as she flinched away. She wasn't going to go to a hospital, she was positive they would just take her back to Naraku! She wasn't going back there! She would die first! Slowly, she brought her hand up and pushed Sango's hand off her arm. Trying to find help was definitely not the right idea. Moving so her hands were on the ground, she tried to push herself up. Gritting her teeth at the pain that shot through her, she shook her head once before her arms gave out and she fell back to the floor. "No… hospital. I'll… be fine."

"See, she's fine." Inuyasha stated as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. His nose twitched as the wind changed direction, pushing her scent towards him. The girl reeked of blood. There was also something else that he couldn't place. But he didn't like it. "Can we go now?"

"Miroku?" Sango looked over at the indigo eyed man as he squatted down next to her, completely ignoring the other man's words.

Miroku's face was filled with worry as he glanced over the girl in the snow. She had bruises and marks on her arms and legs, her breathing was shallow, and she was shivering so badly he almost thought she was having a seizure. His medical training kicked in and he went into full nurse mode quickly. He carefully assessed all the damage done to her body that he could see. "What trouble did you get into young lady?"

"What should we do? She doesn't want us to take her to the hospital." Sango looked back at the girl on the ground.

"Whatever we do, we need to do it quickly. She's not going to get any better laying here in the snow." The male said as he put his hand on the Kagome's shoulder only to lift it slightly when she flinched away from him with a whimper. Putting his hand on her arm again he gave her a gentle smile. "Shhh now, you'll be okay."

"Well if she won't go to the hospital, we'll just have to take her home with us." The other girl said in finality. "We can't leave her here."

"What?!" Inuyasha yelled. "You can't just take in people off the street! What if she's crazy?!"

Sango stood up at that point and turned on the man. Her brown eyes narrowed as she stared into his amber ones. "Look at her Inuyasha! She's hurt and freezing! Her lips are blue! If we walk away from her now she'll die! I won't have that on my conscience!"

"Feh! Whatever, do want you want." The hanyou grumped as he turned his head away from the trio as he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. The wind blew his silver hair and his ears folded flat against his head. Man, he was cold. But he had to admit the smell of her blood had put him on edge. Grunting, he pushed the worry he was starting to feel out of his mind. He didn't even know this chick!

Miroku ignored his friend's argument as he tried to figure out how to proceed with the situation. Looking at her frame he highly doubted she could get up on her own at this point. She was almost completely skin and bones. But he remembered how she had flinched away when he had first touched her arm. Slowly, he brought himself down to her eye level. "I'm going to help you up. But for that I need to be able to touch you. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Kagome opened her eyes and tried to get her eyes to focus on the man in front of her. He was a bit blurry but he had a kind worried look on his features. Honestly, she needed help and they were offering it. Taking in a breath she nodded her head once and closed her eyes again as she felt his warm touch on her arm. She bit her lip to stop the cry of pain as he lifted her up into a sitting position.

"Help me, Sango." He said quietly over his shoulder.

Sango knelt back down and helped to steady the beaten girl. Her eyes caught sight of the cut on her cheek, the blood that had dripped from the cut was dried. Putting a hand on Kagome's back to stabilize her, she quickly pulled away as the girl gasped. Her hand felt wet and cold. Looking down at her hand, Sango's eyes widened. Blood. Leaning forward she was pushed the long black hair aside to see the girls back. All she could see was red soaked gauze peeking out from under her small black dress. Her breath caught in her throat. "Miroku, her back."

Miroku leaned around to get a look at what the girl next to him had pointed out. Concern flashed in his indigo eyes. "We'll worry about that at the house. Right now we need to get her out of this alley."

"Here, put this on her." The gruff voice of Inuyasha interrupted the moment as he thrust his black jacket at them.

"Are you sure?" Sango asked as she reached for it. "Her back is covered in blood."

"Damn it, just take it before I change my mind." He snapped at her. His eyes moved so he looked at the back of the alley and then back down at the small girl next to his friends. "I'll buy a new one if I have too. If both of you are so concerned about her we should hurry up."

Nodding, Sango took the jacket and put it around the small girl. "Okay, this should help warm you up."

Kagome's eyes widened slightly as the warmth of the jacket enveloped her. She glanced up at the silver haired man where he stood a few feet away. His dark red long sleeved shirt was eye catching and he looked away from her with a small blush on his cheeks.

"I'm going to lift you up now." Miroku told her bringing her attention back to him.

Nodding she felt his arms go around her back and under her legs. She let out a small whimper as she felt herself leave the ground. Huddling into the jacket, she let her eyes close again praying she hadn't made a mistake.

Readjusting his hold on the girl, Miroku nodded to his friends and they started to move out of the alley. The sounds of the city hit Kagome's ears, cracking open her eyes she watched as the light around them brighten into cheery colors. This didn't look anything like the seedy part of town she was in previously and for that she was glad. Maybe she had made it far away from Hell. Closing her eyes again she listened as they talked.

"Who would do this to her?" Sango asked as they quickly made their way through the streets towards the car. Thankfully they hadn't parked that far away from the restaurant.

People stared at them as they walked by and Inuyasha couldn't help but send a glare their way. "I don't know, Sango. Terrible things happen behind closed doors." Pulling the keys out of his pocket he unlocked the doors to his car when they got close enough and opened the back door for them.

"I'll sit in the back with her." Sango said as she crawled into the backseat. Once she was settled she held out her hands to help Miroku ease the broken girl into the car. Soon the small female was placed on the seat they moved her so she would be comfortable before Miroku took off his jacket and wrapped it around her legs and feet. One of Sango's hands went around her chest to hold on to her and the other one brushed the hair from her face. She looked up as the boys closed the door and got into the car, listening as Inuyasha started the engine. "Everything will be okay, we'll get you cleaned up."

"Once we get her home we need to get her into the bathtub. Warm water will help. But for now Sango, I need you to start warming up her hands if you can. Don't rub them, blow warm air on them. Inuyasha, I need you to turn on the heater, but not too high." Miroku instructed from the front seat.

"Yeah, yeah." Nodding his head, Inuyasha moved his hand to turn on the heater. Now that everything was settled in the car he turned on his blinker and pulled out into the busy street. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Naraku paced around his office, his hands firmly clasped behind his back. How could this have happened? They were always so careful no one has ever escaped before. Now his biggest money maker had vanished into the night and none of his idiotic employees seem to know where she went. The entire building has been on lockdown for hours now. All the girls were in their rooms under lock and key. No clients were going to come through that damn door for the rest of the night. Do these stupid bastards realize how much money he was losing because of this?

"How could you imbeciles lose track of one little girl?" Naraku snapped as he paced back from the fireplace towards his desk. "Who was in charge of Seventy when she got away?" He asked darkly at the group of guards that stood at the other side of the office. He watched out of the corner of his eye as they all turned their heads to look around the room.

Steeling his nerves, Matsumoto stepped forward. Clenching his fists at his side he looked at the ground. "I was sir."

"Matsumoto." Naraku stated as he turned his body so he could look at the man straight on, his hands resting on his hips now, looking very much like a disappointed parent. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"One of the new girls was causing a scene. I made the assumption that after everything that had happened Seventy would be in no condition to try anything. I was wrong."

"Of course you were wrong you simpleton!" Naraku shouted at him. "That girl has been trying to escape this place since she was old enough to start fighting back! Everyone was under strict orders to never leave her or anyone alone! She could blab and have the police on our doorstep by morning!"

Matsumoto couldn't look his boss in the eye. He knew he had fucked up when he had turned around and seen her gone, no matter how quickly he put in the alert it wasn't fast enough to keep the girl from getting away. "Please forgive me, Sir. It won't happen again."

"You're right. It won't happen again." Naraku moved quickly, his right hand leaving his waist with ease as he looked at Matsumoto down the barrel of the gun he held. With a twitch of his finger the gun exploded in the quiet room and he watched as the guard fell to the floor. A bullet hole sat in the dead center of the mans forehead. He blinked at the dead body on his floor before he brought his red eyes up to the rest of his moronic employees. "Anyone else have anything to tell me?"

The rest of the guards as shrunk back with wide eyes as they looked at the man on the floor in front of them. Quickly they all shook their heads muttering "No sir" at the dangerous man before them.

"Good." Placing the gun on his desk he never took his eyes off the men that were still standing. "If any of you fuck up that badly again, you will be meeting Matsumoto at the gates of hell. No girl is to be left alone in the halls under any circumstances. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" They shouted back at him with fearful looks in their eyes.

"Get out of my sight all of you. And for fuck sakes get that useless piece of shit out of here. I don't want his blood on my rug." Turning on his heel he made his way over to the lit fireplace and put his right hand on the mantle his left still sitting comfortably at his hip. His narrowed eyes watched as the fire danced up into the air from the burning wood. He would get that little bitch back if it he had to go out and find her himself and once she was back here he will make her wish she were dead. No one escapes Hell. No one. "Bankotsu! Hiten!"

The two guards glaced at each other for a moment from across the room. Hiten was about to exit through the door while Bankotsu was watching over the removal of the body. Slowly the two guards moved away from the dispersing crowd and towards their boss.

"Sir?" Hiten asked as he stood in front of Naraku his hands at his sides like a solider.

Bankotsu stopped to stand next to the man his eyes narrowing at his bosses back. No one had a clue that he had let Seventy go and it was going to stay that way. He still had a job to do here and he was not going to let that little bit of information get away from him.

Once Naraku heard the door to his office close he turned his head to look at the men standing there. His red eyes flicked from one man to the other his eyes alight in anger at the situation that was placed before them. Moving away from the fireplace he walked over to his desk and sat in his plush chair. Leaning back he pinched the bridge of his nose with this thumb and pointer finger. "That girl has been a pain in my ass since day one. But everyone is fighting to break the last bit of spirit left in her and paying loads to do it. I need you boys to go out and retrieve her. I will not have that bitch spouting what she knows about this place." Cracking his eyes open he stared the two down as he gave a frustrated growl. "She's not an idiot, she'll go to the police and that fool of a police chief has been trying to take me down for years. I will not let one little girl be my downfall!" Moving his hand away from his face he clenched his fist in the air. "When you get her, you will bring her back to me. _I_ will break her and leave her in a torture room to rot!" He yelled as he slammed his raised fist on his wooden desk. His breath left him in an angry hiss. Closing his eyes he straightened up and he pushed the wavy hair that fell into his eyes from his face as he looked over at the two men. "Find her. She couldn't have gotten far in this weather."

Nodding the two men turned to leave the room. But the boss's voice had them stopping again as he called out once more. "Bankotsu."

Glancing over at Naraku from over his shoulder he raised an eyebrow at him. "Sir?"

"You were the one that checked the door am I correct?"

"I was." He said with a nod of his head. His face stayed in a stoic mask of uncaring as he watched the man at the desk. "But when I looked around the area no one was there. The door was untouched. You said it yourself Seventy's not an idiot. She must have hidden herself until the threat of being caught was gone."

Naraku grunted and waved his hand in a 'you may leave' manner. Watching the two leave the office to track down their missing prize he narrowed his red eyes. There was more to the story then what Bankotsu was telling them. He would find out what it was and he would take care of it personally. Getting up once more from his desk he moved gracefully towards the large window that sat in the wall behind him. He glared out of the glass at the road below him. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. You can't hide from us forever Seventy. We will find you and when we do you will die here.."

* * *

It has been an hour since the meeting with Naraku and now Bankotsu stood outside in the cold, looking towards the back of the alley that he was sure Seventy disappeared in. Snow continued to fall from dark grey clouds above the city. For that he was thankful. Seventy's tracks had been covered up hours ago, that meant it would take longer for his co-worker to track her down. He only prayed the girl had made it far away from here. His eyes narrowed as he turned his head to look up at the building he had just left. Hell. That's what the girls called it at least and Bankotsu wasn't going to disagree. He had seen too many girls come and go in his time there, but he had no clue what happened to them once those girls had left that building. The thought made him want to shiver.

His dark eyes snapped towards the door as it opened again. Hiten strolled out of the hall with his jacket on, smoke trailing from the cigarette hanging from his lips. Bankotsu watched as Hiten tossed his braid over his shoulder without a care in the world.

Hiten looked up at the taller man as he walked away from the now closed door and smirked as he blew smoke passed his lips. "Some day huh?"

"Yeah," Bankotsu muttered as he looked down the street away from Hiten's red gaze. "Got any idea's on how we are going to get the girl back?"

"Not yet," Hiten said as he walked towards the street with Bankotsu falling into place beside him as they walked away from their place of employment. The dark streets were empty for the most part, only a few business were still open as they moved down the dirty street. No one liked to walk these streets after a certain time of night and it had to be close to midnight. "I got a few guys I can talk too, see if she popped up anywhere in the area. We'll get her back." Shoving his left hand in his jacket, he took a drag off the cigarette in his right hand as he looked up at the dark sky. "Naraku is going to kill her, isn't he?"

Bankotsu nodded his head grimly. "Most likely. He doesn't like surprises and she definitely surprised him."

"Stupid bitch." Hiten growled and shrugged his shoulders as he took the stick from his mouth. "Should have just stayed put and saved us a shit ton of trouble."

Bankotsu grunted as he moved away from Hiten as the street that will take him home came into view. He raised his hand as a goodbye as he continued to walk down another street to his left. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya." Hiten muttered as he continued walking straight down the street they had been on towards his own home. He wanted a long shower and a good night's sleep after the mess of a day.

Shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket Bankotsu let his breath leave him in a puff as he continued his path towards his apartment. How he wished he never had walked into Hell, why couldn't the boss have chosen someone else for this. A vibration in his front pocket brought his attention back to the present as he grabbed the phone from his pants. His eyes narrowed at the number on the screen but with a press of the button he answered it. "Chief."

"Bankotsu, status report." A calm voice sounded over the speaker.

"We had a jail break today. Myself and another guard are now starting a game of hide and seek with the little runway." Bankotsu answered back with a shrug of his shoulder.

"I see." The cool voice pondered, "And Naraku?"

"He's pissed." He said flatly.

"Good," The voice chuckled. "Keep me informed." A click of the phone brought an end to the conversation. The Chief was never one for pleasantries.

"Aye, aye, Captain." Bankotsu mocked as he shoved the mobile device into his pocket again. Yes, how he wished he had never stepped foot in hell. There was so much darkness behind those walls, and he was going to be the one to bring it to light.

A/N: So there is chapter three! I hope you all enjoyed it! I will be starting work on chapter four as soon as I can. It seems I have a habit of updating on Saturdays and Sundays so look for new updates during the weekends! Please let me know what you think, I love to read your reviews! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, or hit favorite on this story! Seeing the emails completely make my day!


	4. Chapter 4: Home

Chapter Four: Home

Kagome closed her eyes as she felt warm water pour over her head. Blinking the drops from her eyes she looked over at Sango as the girl smiled warmly at her. The older girl had helped her into the tub to get cleaned up once the indigo eyed male declared that she was thoroughly defrosted. His words, not hers. He had ordered her in a kind voice to the bathroom to wash up. Sango had offered her assistance and Kagome had protested to the idea that she needed help in the shower, but when she stood and almost fell over, Miroku if she remembered his name correctly, claimed he would give her another look once she was washed and changed with the help of Sango.

"Thank you for your help, but I _can_ shower on my own. I'm not a child." Kagome said quietly as she pulled her knees closer to her chest to cover her body, making the water around her ripple with her movements. The burn on her hip stung as she folded herself up.

This was embarrassing. She really hated being naked around people. With he mr background one would think she wouldn't care. Countless men have seen her naked. But she hated how it made her feel. Like anyone could hurt her and they had. She had come to see her discarded black dress as shield that protected her from everything. Once she was in that little dress no one would be able to get to her. Now as she sat there bare to the other girl she felt self conscience of all the cuts and scars on her body.

"I know you aren't, but there are spots on your back you couldn't reach and the cuts needed to be cleaned carefully. We don't want you to get an infection. Besides I don't mind helping," Sango said with a shrug as she grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the side of the tub. Squeezing a good bit of it on Kagome's hair she put the bottle down and started to run her hands through the long dirty strands. Her goal was getting out all the blood and grime from it. She was also trying to get the tangles out and keep the suds off her back. It was not an easy feat. "It's nice to have someone take care of you."

The smaller girl wanted to counter back that she didn't need someone to take care of her but the scratching of Sango's nails over her scalp distracted her. Closing her eyes she let her head fall forward onto her knees. She wasn't used to this kind of attention but she wasn't going to truly complain when the massage her head was getting felt so soothing. For the first time someone had their hands in her hair and wasn't yanking on it.

"Your hair is so long," The older girl commented off handedly as she tugged playfully at the ends that floated on the water. "When was the last time you cut it?"

"Never," Kagome muttered from her knees. Her eyes squeezing shut as the shampoo got in cut on her back.

"I can cut it for you if you'd like? Get all those dead ends off." Sango said as she smiled at the girl's bent form. The bruises on her body stood out against her pale skin, earlier they could easily make out finger marks on the bruise on her neck. The cuts on her back and the burn on her hip worried Sango the most though. She would be sure to tell Miroku about it once they were done in here.

A knock on the bathroom door made Kagome jump and let slip a startled squeak, she looked at the door with wide blue eyes. Her gaze never left the door, it was almost as if she was afraid that something was going to burst through and drag her back to the hell she came from.

"It's okay. It's probably just one of the boys with clothes for you." Sango said in a soothing tone as she gently pulled her hands from the girl's hair and grabbed the bowl from the floor. Looking at the water in the tub she made a face at the pink color it had turned because of the blood on the girl's body. Pulling the plug again she waited for the water to drain. Watching the dirty water disappear down the drain, Sango wonder if this girl had ever been treated kindly in her life. It was easy to see that she had been abused. There was no doubt about it at this point. She was jumpy and so malnourished it was amazing that she was even able to function. Getting her to open up to them wasn't going to be easy.

Another impatient knock came from the door and it shook Sango out of her thoughts. "Come in!"

The door to the bathroom opened quietly letting Inuyasha into the room. The dog ears on his head twitched towards the sound of the draining water as he placed the items in his hands on the vanity counter. "Here is a towel and the clothes you asked for. I brought her some of mine. I wasn't about to go searching through yours and Miroku's room for the ones you said would fit her and Miroku is too busy daydreaming about you bathing her to be of much help. The pervert."

"Thank you Inuyasha." Sango said as she pushed the plug back into the drain and turned the water on to refill the tub. With a sigh she let her hands rake through Kagome's hair again trying to get any areas that she had missed. "We are almost done."

"Feh, whatever." Inuyasha said as he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome watched him as he moved. Since they were now indoors away from the snow she noticed that he had changed clothes. The grey wifebeater that he had on showed off his muscular arms. Turning her head away from him she felt her face start to heat up. She's never been so affected by a male before in her life. It had to be from the warm water. Yeah, that's what it was. She squeaked in surprise as Sango dropped more water over her head. When had she turned the water off?

"Hey," His voice called out again in the quiet bathroom. His face was turned towards the door. "I was wondering.."

Sango looked over her shoulder at him expectantly for a moment before she turned around and continued to wash the shampoo out of the girls hair. "What's up Yash?"

"You think I could get some photos of her injuries?" Scratching the back of his neck he glanced over at the two girls. "I wanna send them to Sesshomaru."

"You think this is something bad enough for Sesshomaru to look into?" As they talked, she grabbed the conditioner bottle from the floor and dropped a glob of that one onto Kagome's hair before she ran her hands through it to spread the conditioner. There were still some tangles but with a good brushing it would most likely come out. If not, she would talk to her about letting her cut it again.

"That bastard's a cop. Even if it's nothing serious, at least we could get the guy who did this to her on assault and battery or domestic abuse."

"That's up to her Inuyasha. It's her body. Hand me that comb will you?" She said as she held her hand out behind her for the item that sat on the counter.

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at the comb and picked it up with a clawed hand before he put it in Sango's waiting grip. He watched as she brought it forward and started to comb the dark hair of the girl in the tub trying to get all the knots and tangles out carefully. Bringing his amber gaze up to the new girl he watched her carefully. "Well?"

Glancing over at him, she saw the expectant look on his face. Were they actually asking her for permission? Her eyes widened again as she looked between him and Sango. She blinked in shock. She could say no? Shaking her head at him she looked away towards the shower wall. "I would like it if you didn't."

"Bu-"

"She said no," Sango said stopping the comb mid brush through Kagome's hair and looked her shoulder over at him. "Accept it Inuyasha. Why don't you go wait in the living room with Miroku. We'll be done soon."

"Fine," Inuyasha growled as he pushed himself away from the counter and out the door slamming it closed behind him with such force it made the wall shake.

Kagome flinched at the sound and looked at her knees that were still against her chest. "I didn't mean to make him angry."

"You didn't. Inuyasha is a bit rough around the edges. He only asked because he wants to help, though he will never admit it." Sango said with a wink as she lifted Kagome's chin up to tip her head back. "Just gotta wash the conditioner out, get you dressed, and then Miroku can look your injuries."

"Why are you helping me?" Kagome asked quietly. This question has been eating at her since the car ride over here. She wasn't used to anyone being nice to her, with the exception of Bankotsu, no even seemed to care if she lived. This entire situation was almost too much for her.

Sango looked at Kagome with her head cocked to the side as she poured water over the girl's hair. "Because you're hurt and it's the right thing to do. If we had left you out there you would never have lasted the night. I can't see someone in pain and not help them it's not how my father raised me."

Kagome gave a short nod as she closed her eyes as another bowl full of water moved through her hair into the tub and the scent of flowers filled the air as she thought about what had been said. She was grateful for this small group in all honestly. They were willing to help a complete stranger. When most people would have just left her on the street the trio had welcomed her into their home. Kagome sighed as the older girl dropped more warm water over her head and did her best to get all the conditioner out and she turned to blink at Sango when she made a contented sound.

"And we are done." Sango announced with glee as she put the bowl down on the tiled floor and leaned forward to pull the plug. Getting up she pushed the stool she was sitting on to the side and grabbed the towel off the counter where Inuyasha had placed it.

Gripping the sides of the tub Kagome grunted as she stood on shaky legs. She took the offered towel as Sango helped her from the tub. The warmth of the water had soothed her aching body. Kagome sighed as she wrapped the fluffy yellow towel around her and started to dry herself off and grunted in annoyance as her hair fell into her face. With a huff she pushed the long bangs out of her way and blinked as she caught movement to her left. Looking up she stopped moving as she saw her reflection in the mirror that sat above the sink. For the first time Kagome got a look at herself. Her hand dropped from her hair to her side as she glared at her copy in the glass. This couldn't be her. The girl that stared back at her looked almost alien, her eyes were too wide for her face and had sunken into her skull, the dark circles from lack of sleep didn't help this at all. In fact it made it worse and she was sure she looked like death itself. Her cheekbones looked too prominent and the small cut on her face had started to bruise from the slap she had received. She looked… sick.

Sango turned to watch the girl as she viewed herself in the mirror. Slowly she moved towards her and placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder gently. "Hey, I know it looks bad right now but with time, a few good meals, and some sleep you'll be good as new."

Kagome nodded her head as she looked away from the mirror. She didn't like the creature that looked back at her.

Sango grabbed the light grey shirt Inuyasha had given from the pile and shook it out before she pulled it over Kagome's head quickly. "We should hurry the boys are waiting."

"Yeah," Kagome whispered as she pushed her arms through the arms of the shirt. Dropping the towel to the floor she used her now free hands to pull the shirt down as Sango turned to grab the sweatpants from the counter. Taking offered pants from the other girl, Kagome leaned down and started to lift her right leg and gasped a bit as the burn on her hip pinched in pain when she bent to put the pants on and almost lost her footing.

Sango quickly to grab the girl's shoulders to help steady her. "Easy. Are you okay?"

Kagome nodded slightly as she put her right foot into the pants and then the other. Taking in a deep breath she pulled the pants up to her hips where they sat loosely. She looked up at Sango with a small smile. "Thank you."

"You should roll the top down a few times. That should help with the length so you aren't tripping." Sango informed with a smile before she moved around Kagome to grab the towel from the floor. Carefully she used the towel to dry the girl's hair as best she could and turned to grab a brush from a drawer in the vanity. Sliding it closed with her hip she pulled Kagome's hair back with the bristles happy that all the tangles had come out. She made quick work of braiding the girl's hair out of the way and wrapped a hair tie from her wrist around the tail. "Looks like your back isn't bleeding anymore!"

The smaller girl smiled again as she finished rolling the pants to fit her better. She glanced over her shoulder at Sango. "That's good."

"Come on, Miroku wants to look at you one more time. Now don't be scared of him, I know he's a lecher but he works in an Emergency room. He know's what he's doing." Sango said with a small smile as she put her hands on the girl's shoulders again before she moved around her to the bathroom door and looked back over at the girl with a smile. "Plus Inuyasha and I will be there, anything funny happens and we will take care of it!"

"O-okay." Kagome nodded again as she followed the taller girl out of the bathroom. She looked around the hallway at the photos that decorated the white walls as she moved through slowly the halls towards the living area. She could hear the two boys talking as they got closer to the living room. She was surprised to see so many lights on in this house it was almost like none of them liked the dark but she wasn't about to complain about it.

"I just don't see why she wouldn't let me take those photos." Inuyasha's gruff voice sounded from the room just off the living room.

"I've seen stuff like this before. You just have to give her some time, usually people who have been abused don't trust easily. Most don't want photos cause their scared the photos might get back to their abusers." Miroku answered as he moved around the coffee table. He held all kinds of medical objects in his hands. Placing the items on the table he looked up at the other man who stood in the kitchen leaning back on his arms that sat on the counter. "For now I am more concerned that she could get an infection if the injuries aren't treated properly. From the looks of what we saw before, they weren't."

Sango cleared her throat and watched as both boys turned their heads to look at her and Kagome. "Are you ready Miroku?"

"Always my dear Sango." Miroku said with a smile as he straightened up and gestured towards the couch. "Come sit down and we will get you fixed up."

"Miroku, may I speak to you for a moment?" Sango said as she indicated towards the kitchen as she watched Kagome move to sit on the couch with a slight wince.

Miroku nodded and started to follow Sango from the room but the voice of the small girl on the couch stopped them.

"If it's about my hip there no point in being quiet about it." Kagome huffed as she looked at the couple and then down at the rug on the wooden floor.

"What happened to your hip?" Inuyasha questioned as he moved his arms across his chest and moved towards the dining room table but he didn't make any moves to sit down.

But seeing that Kagome wasn't going to say anything about it, Sango looked over at Miroku with a sigh as she fiddled with the ring on her left hand. "There's a burn on her hip. It's in the shape of a spider."

"A spider?" Both boys asked in confusion. Inuyasha's brows knitted together as he stared at Sango.

Miroku looked at the girl on the couch with a curious gaze but nodded his head slowly and moved towards Kagome. "Now, let's take a look at your injuries shall we?"

"Yeah." Kagome said as she tried not to flinched back when Miroku turned her head gently to the side to take a look at the cut and bruise on her cheek.

"That looks like it will heal just fine." Miroku said as he grabbed a small tube off the table along with a Q-Tip. "This is just basic antibiotic ointment that will help with healing."

Kagome nodded her head as she listen to the man explain what he was doing. It was slightly calming for her cause she knew exactly what was happening and she had to option to stop it.

"I realized," Miroku said after he dabbed the ointment on her cut and placed the dirty Q-tip on a paper towel on the table. Grabbing a small package he ripped it open and took a bandage from it. Carefully, he placed a small butterfly stitch bandage on the cut on her cheek and started to get more of the items on the table prepared for the other injuries. "In all the excitement of tonight we never got your name."

The small girl blinked at him for a moment before she knitted her brows together, had she really failed to mention that? But at the same time they didn't ask. She looked up at them all again with wide blue eyes.

"Well? You going to tell us or what wench?" Inuyasha snapped as he narrowed his eyes at her. He still wasn't sure about this girl and the situation she was running from. He made a mental note to call Sesshomaru in the morning, as much as he didn't like his half brother he might be useful at this point.

"Inuyasha!" Sango scolded as she smacked his shoulder. "Be nice to her!"

"Ignore him," Miroku said with a smile at her. "Can you lay down on your stomach and pull your shirt up so I can look at your back?"

Moving so she was laying comfortably on the couch she winced as the burn scraped against the borrowed shirt as she lifted it to rest below her breasts to expose as much of the cuts she could without taking off the shirt then moved her arms to pillow her head like a cushion. "Kagome."

Miroku turned his face towards her after a moment pausing in his examination of the whip marks on her back. "I'm sorry?"

"You asked my name," She muttered as she looked at the coffee table. "It's Kagome."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Kagome." Miroku said with a smile as he started tending to her cuts again. "I'm Miroku. The one that helped you shower was the lovely Sango, and the gruff disagreeable one is Inuyasha."

"Disagreeable!?" Inuyasha shouted at the man with a twitch of his dark eyebrow as he raised his fist at the other man. "I'll show you disagreeable you lecher!"

Sango rolled her eyes and pushed Inuyasha towards the stove and followed him to grab some mugs from the cabinet. "Shut up. Go make some tea or something!"

"Now Kagome," Miroku said completely ignoring the other two in the room as they bickered. "Do you have any place to go? Where do you live?"

Kagome just shook her head and buried her face in her arms. "No. But I'm sure I can find one.."

"Do you have any money for a room?" Inuyasha's annoyed voice called from the kitchen. He had started up a pot of water in the kettle after Sango threatened to yank on his ears.

"No…But I'll be fine on my own. I'll get out of your way once this is finished."

"Nonsense!" Miroku said as he worked making sure all the cuts were cleaned. "I don't want you out in the elements until you are healed up. Until then you can stay with us."

"No, I couldn't!" Kagome said in shock as she turned to look at the man.

"What?!" Inuyasha yelled at the same time as Kagome did as he whipped around from the stove towards the living room area. "Where are we going to put her!?"

"Your room." Miroku smiled at him with a gleam in his indigo eyes as he leaned back to grab the gauze from the table. "You get the couch Inuyasha!"

"No wa-" Inuyasha protested as he moved towards the living, his bare feet padding on the wooden floor.

"So it's settled," Sango said with a smile as she walked from the kitchen to lean over the back of the couch interrupting Inuyasha's yelling. She watched as the younger girl leaned up on her arms to get a look at Miroku in shock. "Welcome home Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes widened again before she laid flat on her stomach again and buried her face deeper into her arms. A smile spread across her lips as she listened to the three of them bicker with each other, Miroku's laugh drowning out the other voices. ' _Home.'_ She liked the sound of that.

A/N: I am so sorry for the wait on this chapter, I have been stupid busy with work and other things my life has decided to throw at me. But here is chapter four, I know it's not much and honestly probably not that interesting but there it is and I am hoping to get chapter five out to you this weekend and be back on track for every weekend updates. Just letting you all know that I am still alive and still invested in this story. Thanks for reading and being patient!


	5. Chapter 5: A New Day

A/N: Hey all! Sorry that it's been so long since I last updated. A lot has happened since March and I finally convinced myself to that this chapter was okay to put out here. I've had one hell of a block when it's come to writing but I'm hoping to be back at it like I normally would. I don't feel like this chapter is particularly interesting but please let me know what you think! Also just to let you know I have been reading your comments and I appreciate all the tips that I have been given when it comes to Kagome and how she acts. I hope I will be able to portray that correctly moving forward with the story. Anyway, on that note here is chapter 5!

Chapter Five: A New Day

Bankotsu leaned against the wall outside of a shady looking building as he waited on Hiten to come out. He watched as people walked through the snow on their way to work or the store, just their everyday lives. He grunted as he pulled his coat closer around him, he wished he was back at the station catching drug dealers and thieves, instead, he was here waiting for his so-called co-worker to get out of this stupid building so they could find a girl he had let loose. Naraku would want a progress report soon and they had to have something to share with the class.

"I'll keep an eye out for her." A voice sounded as the door to the building opened and two men joined him on the cold street.

"Thanks, man," Hiten said as they clasped hands in a shake. "She's very important to our boss. Any news about her helps."

"You got it." The short balding man said with a nod. He glanced up at Bankotsu and gave a grim smirk before heading back into his shop and closing the door to the cold.

"Kaijinbo's going to send some guys around looking for Seventy." Hiten clarified as he looked over at Bankotsu's curious gaze. Pulling a cigarette from the pack in his pocket he lit it with a match and tossed the small piece of wood on the ground letting the snow take care of the fire. "Maybe we can check around the alley's to see if there was any sign of her."

"That wouldn't help at this point," Bankotsu said kicking himself away from the wall to stand next to the shorter man. "The snow would have covered up her trail by now."

"No harm in trying right?" Hiten said with a smirk his cigarette dangling from his lips as smoke escaped in a wisp around his head. Jerking his head to the left he started to walk away leaving the other man to follow him. "Think she had any place to go?"

Bankotsu shook his head stuffing his hands into his pockets for warmth, "From my understanding Seventy has been with us so long she doesn't have anywhere to run too."

"That's true."

Together they strolled down the street towards Hell. If you looked at them from a bystander's point of view they almost looked like brothers walking home or to a friends house. Just two men taking a casual stroll down the street.

But that wasn't the case. Turning right at the corner they came up on the street that housed their place of employment. The building was tall and intimidating, it looked dark compared to the other run-down buildings that surrounded it.

"Hmm," Hiten grunted as he walked into the alley he was sure Seventy had escaped from. He looked over his shoulder at Bankotsu as he moved towards the back of the alley, his hand coming up to take the cigarette from his lips for a moment. Glancing around the alley he looked to his right down another way, his feet crunching on the snow as he walked towards it. Nothing really interesting caught his eye but he continued down it anyway.

Bankotsu rolled his eyes as he followed the smaller man down the back alley. "I'm telling you," He said gruffly. "The snow would have covered any trail she could have left."

"Her steps yes," Hiten said as he looked at the wall next to him. "She was hurt remember?"

"So?" Bankotsu shrugged offhandedly he stopped at the entrance of the alley.

"Blood stains on walls don't really get covered up by snow now does it?" Hiten said with a smirk as he pointed to the wall to his left. "She must have slipped."

Moving quickly Bankotsu made his way towards the area that his co-worker pointed. The dark red stain glared back at him making his heart beat frantically. _'Fuck.'_

* * *

Kagome stared at the white ceiling of the room she was given last night. The light of the early morning shone through the black colored curtains on the window. A new day had dawned. Her first day free from Hell. Glancing around the room she eyed the car posters and framed photos on the walls. But nothing registered in her mind, it was fuzzy. Damn, she was so tired. She hadn't slept at all last night and not from lack of trying either. Every time she had closed her eyes to sleep all she saw as the Masters red eyes staring down at her while she laid on that table. She could still feel the cold hitting her skin as the men held her down. That alone made her jolt awake like she had been hit with something.

Maybe she should try again? With a slight nod, she closed her eyes as she tried to get comfortable in the bed. She felt herself start to drift into sleep, her mind shutting off. Almost instantly his face pushed through the darkness of her conscience, his terrifying red eyes glaring at her. His smirking face mocking her.

 _'This is to show everyone who you belong to.'_ The Master's voice sounded in her ear. She felt his hands caress her body, the tips of his fingers leaving trails of fire on her skin before the sharp pain of the brand burned into her hip. ' _You are mine to use as I see fit.'_

Gasping her eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly her eyes flying around the room looking for the man that owned her. Tears she hadn't even noticed were in her eyes fell down her cheeks as she panted in fear and pain of her mutinous body and mind. Closing her eyes she placed her hands over her face, she would never be free of him. Never. A soft sob left her lips as the realization hit her. He would always be there to taunt her.

A knock on the door of the room had her scrambling back on the bed until she hit the wall. A small cry of shock leaving her lips as pain shot through her whip marks. It was him! He was here to drag her back to Hell!

Another knock on the door sounded through the room as she tried to make herself disappear into the wall. Ignoring the pain in her back was easy now that her heart was about to jump from her chest.

"Hey, are you awake?" A gruff voice called from the other side of the door. "I just need to get some clothes."

Kagome stared wide eyed at the door, panic rising in her chest as her heart continued to thud against her rib cage. _'Please don't open the door. Please!'_

"Kagome?" The voice called again as the door opened slightly letting one amber eye peek into the room. It blinked at her as the door was pushed open more, revealing all of Inuyasha. "You are awake. Why didn't you answer when I asked?" He growled as he leaned against the door frame crossing his arms over his chest in a huff as he glared at her.

Kagome continued to stare at him with scared eyes, her body trembling. What was he going to do to her?

Taking in her huddled form Inuyasha raised his eyebrow at her. _'She wasn't like this last night.'_ Rolling his eyes at her, he took a step into the room but stopped quickly as he heard a strangled cry from the girl on his bed. Putting his hands in the air so she could see them he gave her an annoyed look. "Look wench, I'm just getting clothes. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Kagome slid sideways against the wall until her back met the corner. Pulling her knees up to her chest, her blue eyes watched him warily as he started to move slowly towards the dresser on the wall across from her. Quick breaths left her body making the small furry ears on the silver haired man's head twitch in her direction.

"There's no reason to be so afraid. It's not like I'm going to eat you." He grumbled as he pulled a pair of pants, boxers, and a clean shirt from the drawers of his dresser.

Kagome continued to tremble in fear at the man before her. Any minute now he was going to turn and jump on her. She was sure of it. Her stomach rolled making her feel like she was going to puke. But there was no reason for that, she hadn't eaten anything, maybe the stress of no sleep and this man was making her feel like that. Yeah, that has to be it.

Inuyasha stood slowly as he pushed the drawer shut with his foot and flashed the clothes in his grip at her as he started towards the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob he looked back at the terrified girl. His eyebrows squeezed together in concern as he took in her flushed cheeks and the slight smell of sick that wafted around his room. "You feeling okay? You look like a little green."

 _'Green?'_ Kagome blinked at him in confusion as her mind raced trying to comprehend what he was saying. She wasn't green. Her mind was starting to get a bit foggy and she wasn't feeling that great but didn't think she was turning another color. Was she? Looking down quickly at her hand, she confirmed that she was the same color she had always been.

"Nevermind," Inuyasha said when he noticed the confused face she was giving him. Turning to leave the room he stopped a moment more and looked at her over his shoulder. "I'm going to make something to eat but we have all kinds of stuff in the house. Just come on out when you get hungry."

She gave a slight nod in his direction and watched him as he shut the door. She stayed in her corner for a few minutes longer to make sure he wasn't going to come back in for any reason. The idea of being alone with a male was terrifying to her. She felt safer with Sango around.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Kagome moved from her safe spot uncurling herself from the corner and moved to lay comfortably on the bed. To be honest she didn't even want to think about food with the way her body was acting she was sure it would come back to haunt her shortly after it visited her stomach. But it wasn't a big deal, she just needed to get some sleep and everything would be alright. Rubbing her tired eyes, she rolled onto her side and tried to sleep once more, praying to anyone that was listening that the nightmares stayed away this time.

* * *

A/N: And there is chapter 5! Again, sorry for the ridiculously long wait and the uneventful/boring chapter. Please feel free to leave me a comment with your thoughts on this chapter! I'm hoping to get the next chapter out to you all at a more reasonable time!


End file.
